Supernatural Botanicals

What an amazing talent Ms. Vy Higginsen is.  Cincinnati was proud to host SmartTalk Connected Conversation‘s Vy Higginsen to share her story with us.  From the minute she took the stage, she was electrifying.  The energy was palpable and she immediately captivated the audience.  And if you are one who is inspired by other strong women, wait until you hear Vy’s accomplishments!  What gives her that extra bit of “special” is that she not only accomplished monumental career goals, but many times, she was the trail-blazer, the first to ever do what she has done.  For instance, she was the first black female radio personality in the prime time New York City market on WBLS.  She was the first woman to host a morning show on New York radio at WWRL.  She was the first woman in advertising sales at Ebony magazine.  She was the first black woman to produce a drama on Broadway with Joe Tuner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson.  She was the first black female writer, producer, director of the longest-running, Off-Broadway musical in the history of American theater with Mama, I Want to Sing.

To accomplish one one of those goals individually is something that dreams are made of.  To accomplish these goals in multiples, along with being the first many times, is almost unfathomable.  Yet, her determination and perseverance paved the way to the incredible life she now leads.  She’s all about positive energy, and she sees her accomplishments in her mind long before she achieves them.

Vy also created the Mama Foundation, an organization that keeps gospel relevant and exciting for teens.  Realizing that it was someone’s responsibility to keep gospel music alive, Ms. Vy didn’t sit around and wait for someone to figure it out.  She did it herself.  Watch a clip of this magical collaboration:

Ms. Higginsen is an inspiration to anyone who has ever wanted to bless others.  She’s an inspiration for women in business.  She’s an inspiration for those whom like to take chances.  She’s a big thinker, and she makes things happen.  She certainly gains a spot in my collection of female mentors.  Incredible!

An enormous thank you to SmartTalk Connected Conversations for bringing insightful and amazing talent to Cincinnati.  Make sure and catch SmartTalk’s May feature in Cincinnati, with Andie MacDowell!   Purchase tickets here and spend and amazing night with the legendary Andie MacDowell on May 24th at the Aronoff Center for Arts!

One of our favorite makeup artists around here is Kandee Johnson.  She’s an amazing stylist that has a wildly successful YouTube channel…that you should check out here.   Kandee will show you how to do some incredible looks for Halloween.  Don’t be intimidated, she breaks it down.  You can do it…really, you can!  If you want to be over the top, in addition to having the coolest look at your next Halloween costume party, try these looks on for size.

From platinum blonde to jet black hair, Drew has been spawning trends for decades.  Her hippie-chic bohemian style makes her pop right off the screen.  Check out some of Drew’s fabulous looks over the years:

For a mini-microdermabrasion at home, try this all natural trick with products you probably have right in your kitchen.  You won’t believe how effective, yet easy this is.  Watch….then try.

Has the Beauty Industry affected you?  Of course it has, the industry has its way with all of us.  The question is…how much has it affected you?  Do you consider the industry a help or a hindrance to your self image.

Michelle Rhee is shaking things up in America, and for good reason…our children.  Michelle Rhee, dubbed as a warrior for our kids, is cleaning up schools by firing bad teachers and principals, and standing up to a failing system.  Michelle, is the former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public School system of Washington, D.C., in the United States.  In 1997 she founded The New Teacher Project (TNTP), which in ten years has recruited 10,000 teachers in twenty states. She announced her resignation as chancellor on October 13, 2010, effective at the end of the month. Rhee is the founder and CEO of StudentsFirst, a 501(c)(4) political advocacy organization which works on education reform issues. Michelle will be in Cincinnati with Smart Talk Connected Conversations.

Tickets are available for Monday night’s performance here.

Everything you wanted to know about applying eyeliner, by Tiffany D.